


Siege

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Explicit Language, Post War, Post-War, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Eternity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-22
Updated: 2009-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Hermione and the children are taken hostage.  Will Ron and Harry be able to save them before it's too late?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank Brandedfaithfully for her fine beta work! She is one in a million!!!

*hugs*

missgranger2  

* * *

Hermione had just laid their six month old baby down in his crib for the night.  She sighed as she looked at the clock on her nightstand- 11:47.  Rosie had always been an easy baby.  Hermione would put her down in her crib and Rosie would fall asleep without any trouble.  But Hugo was different.  He would cry continuously if either Ron or Hermione laid him down.  Hugo had made it painfully clear that he preferred to fall asleep in the arms of one of his parents.  

Ron was gone on a mission and Hermione wasn’t sure when he’d back.  Such was the life of an Auror who had risen in the ranks quite quickly.  Hermione sighed again and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.  Though it was a Friday night, she was going to be up until the early morning hours working on a case relating to an abused house elf.  She loved her job in Magical Law.  Yet sometimes the demands of her job took its toll.  With Ron gone, it made things a thousand times more difficult as she was both mom and dad, while trying to maintain a demanding career. 

Hermione closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead wearily.  _But first I need a good, long hot soak in the tub._ She got up off the bed and trudged to her dresser taking out a pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt of Ron’s.  Taking a deep breath, she fetched a pair of knickers from another drawer and walked slowly to their bathroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearly 2:00 in the morning when Hermione heard a loud bang above her.  Sitting downstairs in her home office, she had been pouring over old cases of house elf abuse in the hopes of finding something useful.   Hermione looked up toward the ceiling wearily and heard yet another loud bang.  _What on earth are you doing Rosie?_

Hermione huffed as she stood up and shuffled to the staircase.  Just as her hand reached for the banister, she gasped at a large shadow moving in the upstairs hall.  It couldn’t possibly have been made by her two year old daughter.  _It can’t be Ron…he’d have already made his presence known._

Her free hand slammed over her open mouth in alarm, holding back any screams that might alert an intruder to her presence.  As quickly as she could, she ran back to her office and fetched her wand.  Her heart beating through her chest, she Apparated into her daughter’s bedroom and quietly lifted her out of bed and into her arms.  Hugging her tightly, she Apparated into Hugo’s room.  

Rosie began to stir, taken from the comfort of her bed. “Shhh.”  Hermione patted her back shakily and whispered, “It’s alright baby, just sleep.”  She shifted Rose to her hip and reached out to Hugo when the bedroom door banged open violently.  Hermione jumped and gasped when she saw the intruder, his hair slimy and long, a snarl twisting his face. 

“Where do you think you’re going Mrs. Weasley?”  The man asked.  His beady eyes and evil grin created havoc in Hermione’s chest.   He licked his lips.  “The fun is just about to begin!” 

Hermione shook like a leaf, desperately trying to grab Hugo from his crib and Apparate them all at once out of the house.  Clutching Hugo as tightly as possible, she concentrated on the Ministry and pushed.  Nothing happened.  _What the hell?!_   For some odd reason, the man in the bedroom remained still.  If she’d had more time to contemplate this, she would have realized something tricky and sinister was at work. Instead, wholly enveloped by fear _, s_ he closed her eyes and gave it a second try.  Nothing.  Hermione hugged her children tighter to her chest, at a loss as to why she couldn’t Apparate out of the house. 

The man let out a devious sounding laugh.  “Not trying to Apparate out of here are you?  You can try all you like but it ain’t goin’ to work darlin’!”  He offered a devious wink and Hermione stared back, panic written all over her face.  The man still didn’t move, but called out loudly, “Boris, c’mere!  They’re in here!” 

Hermione’s heart beat so fast that she felt sure she was going to hyperventilate at any moment.  _What do I do?!_ She looked around, desperation in showing in her eyes.  Her instincts told her to fight, put down the children and hex the lights out of these felons.  But the mother in her couldn’t release her little ones, only clutching them tighter.  The other man, Boris, showed up, grinning at her in a way that made her insides squirm.  He was shorter than the other one.  His face had deep scars running through it and he wore his greasy hair back in a ponytail.  They both donned long, black trench coats and steel tipped boots.   “Damn Hiram!  The blokes weren’t lyin’ when they said she was a beauty!”  Boris began looking at her body up and down appreciatively.  “We’re goin’ to have a l _ot_ of fun for sure!”  They both began to chuckle making Hermione shudder. 

_Think Hermione!  Bloody think!_ She watched helplessly as the two scoundrels began to advance on her.  _I can’t Apparate out of the house but I was able to Apparate inside the house a few minutes ago!  Bloody hell- that’s it!_ Hermione closed her eyes and felt the familiar tug permeating from her navel.  When she opened her eyes, she was where she had willed herself to go: the attic. 

As carefully and quietly as she could manage, Hermione laid Rosie and Hugo on the floor.  Standing back up, she glanced around the cluttered space and weaved her way with some difficulty toward the attic door.  With a wave of her wand, the door squelched tight and she continued, waving it around the space and uttering protection and silencing charms.  Still terrified, heart beating furiously, she clamoured back toward the spot she had left her children.  Rosie was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. 

Hermione’s daughter would be turning three very soon.  She was a clever little witch with a vocabulary and intellect that was far above her years.  “Why we in da’ attic, mummy?”

Hermione tried to compose herself, not wanting to scare her.  “Now is not the time for questions, alright?  We’re just going to hang around up here for a bit until daddy gets here.” 

Rosie grinned, looking so much like her father.  “Are we playin’ hide and go seek wif daddy?”

Hermione tried to grin back as best as she could.  “Something like that, yes.”  Using her wand, she transfigured two old wooden chairs into a bed and crib.  She reached into a box nearby labeled “linens” and pulled out a few blankets.  Hermione did a freshening charm on them and then motioned for Rosie to get into the small bed.  “C-Come and lie down while we wait for daddy.”

Rosie frowned at her.  “But I wanna’ hide some pace up here so daddy can’t fine me!” 

“We are hiding darling.”  Hermione bit her lip.  “Please Rosie just get in bed for mummy and go back to sleep.  I promise the moment I hear daddy come home, I’ll wake you and you can find a better hiding place.” 

“Promise?”  Rosie yawned as she climbed into the little bed. 

“Promise.”  Hermione said as she laid one of the blankets over and then kissed her on the forehead.  As Rosie began closing her eyes, she stooped down and lifted up Hugo with great care.  _Oh please don’t wake up!_ As if in slow motion, she laid him inside the crib and covered him with a blanket.  She backed off slowly and sighed in relief that he had indeed stayed fast asleep.  

Hermione began to pace back and forth.  She knew the two thugs were probably searching the rest of the house and that eventually they’d discover she was holed up in the attic.  _Who the hell are they?  What do they want?_ She didn’t recall of ever hearing of a Boris or Hiram.  Ron often told her of the cases he was working and some names had truly stuck with her, but not these.  Worse still, she couldn’t fathom how they’d gotten past the wards that Ron and her had set in place.  Being in the Auror division meant that Ron was very cognizant of security around his home.  Harry and he both had wards that would rival Azkiban.  _Only a very intelligent wizard could have broken through all the charms and spells._ Boris and Hiram didn’t strike her as the sort who would have been able to have accomplished such a feat.  _Though looks can be deceiving._

It would have also taken a very intelligent and experienced wizard to have come up with an incantation that would not allow for her to Apparate outside of the house.  Hermione sat down on the floor and brought her knees up to her chin.  _I don’t know what to do._ Tears started to fall from her eyes as she looked upon the peaceful forms of her children.  _I won’t let them harm either of you._ She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath.  _Be strong. You have to protect them Hermione!_ She stood up.  She felt a wave of determination wash over her as she held her wand out towards the attic door.  _You’ll have to go through me to get to them!_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was early morning and Ron was in a rather plush hotel room in Leeds.  Harry and he were undercover and were in pursuit of a former Death Eater by the name of Julius Moore.  Moore was from a wealthy pure blood wizard family.  He was suspected of being the head of a large band of former Death Eaters whose purpose was to continue Voldemort’s mission to the rid the wizard world of Muggle borns.  They had traced him to Leeds and had found out through an informant that he planned to have a meeting with his members in the hotel at nine in the morning.  It would be a perfect opportunity to not only grab Moore but to also identify all the members he had working for him. 

Ron and Harry had already taken a few of the members of the group in custody.  The plan was to use Polyjuice Potion to transform themselves into the members they had arrested.  They would then attend the meeting and play it by ear from there.  It was a case close to Ron’s heart as his wife was Muggle born.  Harry and he had spent months working on the case.  Ron hoped their plan to attend the meeting would finally bring down Moore and his followers.

Presently, he was seated at a very nice desk in the sitting room of the hotel.  Ron had whistled through his teeth when Harry and he first saw the place.  They were both used to staying in some really run down places that usually smelt of urine and stale cigarettes.  They had both smiled and shook their heads in awe to have been able to stay at such a luxurious place.  He began reading over the prisoner file of whom he was impersonating later that morning.   Harry had taken first shift and had stayed up while Ron slept until midnight.  Ron took over to allow for Harry to get some rest and was planning on waking him around five in order to go through their plan.  

Nothing could be left to chance as they were dealing with some very dangerous individuals.   They would have to go over every detail and have back-up plans in place in case of any mishaps.  Ron was reading over a detailed description of the man he would be impersonating, paying close attention to his mannerisms and such.  A knock at the door startled him for a moment.  He looked down at his watch. _Who the hell would be knocking on the door at 2:30 in the morning?_ Ron picked his wand up and padded over softly to the door.  The knocking grew more persistent as if somebody was now using their fist. 

Ron tightened his grip on his wand and was about to shout for Harry when he heard a muffled voice from the other side of the door.  “It’s Seamus!  Open up the bloody door!” 

Ron squinted through the peephole and saw the Irishman dressed in his Auror robes.  _But how can I be sure it’s really him?_ “I need the password!” 

Ron watched through the peephole as Seamus began to swear while patting his robes.  “Dammit Ron this is an emergency!”

“I don’t give a shite what you say- I need a password before I open this bloody door.”

Seamus finally sighed in apparent relief as he pulled a piece of parchment out of one of his pockets.  “The password is Dumbledore!”

Ron chuckled.  “Nice try but that was yesterday’s password.”  Ron watched as Seamus swore again and began rifling through his pockets.  He was pretty certain this was Seamus as the Irishman had a habit of forever losing passwords _and_ his temper but he still had to be sure.  A few moments passed as Seamus pulled slip after slip of parchment out of his pockets.  He cursed and threw them to the ground when it wasn’t the one he was hunting for.  “Well?”

“I’m looking arsehole!”  Seamus dug deep into one of his pockets and pulled out a small bit of parchment.  He looked at it and sighed in relief.  “The bloody password for today is Mad Eye!”

“May he rest in peace.”  Ron opened the door and Seamus, along with another Auror, pushed passed him.  He closed the door and turned with his arms folded toward Seamus.  “What’s up?”

“Archie and I are here to take over for you and Harry.”

Ron frowned.  “The hell you are!  Harry and I have been working on this case for months now!”

Seamus sighed as he looked at Archie.  “Told you he’d blow his top!  Give him the message Archie.”

Archie pulled a sealed parchment out of his pocket and handed it over to Ron.  Still frowning at them, Ron thumbed it open and scanned it quickly.  “Why the hell does the director need to see Harry and I?”

Seamus shrugged.  “I don’t know the particulars.  All I do know is that it had something to do with an Owl he got at home about an hour ago.  The whole department is on alert- so I heard.”

Ron ran his hand through his hair in frustration.  “I’ll go and wake up Harry.  All I know is he better have had a good bloody reason to pull us off this case!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione jerked as a loud banging shook the attic door.  

“We know you’re in there!”   She heard them laughing as they began to utter spells.  Hermione’s eyes went wide with fear as she recognized that whatever spells they were using were weakening her own.  

She turned around and looked helplessly at her children.  With a trembling hand, she stroked the hair back from their tiny faces and kissed them both, whispering to each of them how much she loved them.  Frantically, she stacked several boxes containing Christmas decorations around the beds, realizing it was futile, but desperate for any kind of protection she could design.  A tear fell from her eye as she clutched her wand.  _I won’t let them harm you._ Closing her eyes, she Apparated herself right behind the two men and took aim with her wand.


	2. Chapter 2

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank Brandedfaithfully for the brilliant beta work. She is lovely to work with and I appreciate all her help and suggestions!

*hugs*

missgranger2 

 

* * *

“Siege” Chapter 2

Ron and Harry reluctantly debriefed Seamus and Archie on where they were in regards to the investigation.  Seamus cleared his throat when they were through.  “We were told by the director himself to do nothing further until we hear from him.”

“What?!”  Ron groaned.  “Isn’t he aware that the plan Harry and I came up with can end this once and for all?!”

“I’m just following orders, Ron.  He said under no circumstances were we to do anything more than sit here and wait for further orders.”  He smiled appreciatively around the room.  “And I must say I don’t mind sitting here in the least!”

Harry rubbed his forehead in frustration.  “Let’s just get back to headquarters and see what was so bloody important that it couldn’t wait.”

Seamus piped up, “He’s not at headquarters.  The director set up some sort of command center in an old abandoned warehouse right smack in the middle of London.”  Seamus dug hurriedly in the pockets of his robes.  “I got the address here somewhere.  A-ha…” Seamus pulled a crumpled piece of parchment out.  “Here it is!”  He handed it to Harry who showed it to Ron.   

Ron picked his duffle bag off the floor and sighed.  “This had better be good.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione aimed her wand at the ceiling right above Boris and Hiram.  They weren’t aware of her presence as they were too involved in trying to get through the attic door.  “Bloody hell!  We did it mate!” Boris yelled in triumph, having rendered the spells Hermione had put in place useless. 

A second later a bolt of light hit the spot just above the two intruders.   Suddenly a large chunk of the ceiling crashed down upon the two men, completely burying them.  Hermione brought her hand down shakily, clutching her chest with the other; she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Very clever, Mrs. Weasley.”  Hermione jumped and turned to see three men standing directly behind her.  “We were told not to underestimate your abilities and I dare say I’m not disappointed.”

Hermione held her wand out.  “Who are you?  What do you want?”

The man who spoke had short gray hair combed neatly to the side.  He wore expensive robes of deep burgundy satin.  “I haven’t introduced myself properly, have I?”  He smiled menacingly at her.  “My name is Julius Moore.  Perhaps your husband has mentioned me?”  Hermione shook her head as she held her wand out.  He looked past her suddenly and nodded.  

Hermione refused to turn around, all her attention focused on the three men before her.  She felt something prod her in the back.  Julius laughed.  “I suggest you drop your wand before Desmond does something horrible to you.”  His eyes seemed to sparkle as he continued.   “Desmond doesn’t fancy killing his victims.  He’d much rather turn you into a blithering idiot the rest of your life or perhaps banish a few limbs.”  Hermione breathed heavily, adrenaline fueling her already rapid pulse.  She knew there was no way out- they had her surrounded.  Praying that they had no knowledge of the children, she formulated a new plan to go quietly and quickly away from the house.  Shakily, she dropped her wand to the ground as Desmond grabbed her around the neck from behind and held her against him.  He placed his wand at her throat as Julius turned to the two men behind him.  “Go and check on Boris and Hiram.  The two idiots were only supposed to hold them until we got here.”

The two men stepped around Hermione and knelt down on the floor.  One of them turned to Julius.  “Boris is dead.”  Julius shrugged as he continued to stare at Hermione.  “Hiram is hurt pretty badly but he’s alive, sir.”

“Bring him to one of the rooms and tend to him.”  He looked around the hallway and back at Hermione, his eyes dark and intrusive.  “Where’s your children Mrs. Weasley?”

Hermione’s worse fears stabbed her in the gut.  She shook like a leaf and fought to control the urge to look towards the attic.  Hoping beyond hope that he’d believe her, Hermione said, “Th-They aren’t here.  M-My mother-in-law is keeping them tonight as I…I have to prepare f-for a case I’m presenting M-Monday morning.”

Julius tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth just hinting at a smile.  “Now Mrs. Weasley you’re not lying to me are you?”

Hermione shook her head, her voice sounding more determined.  “I swear on my life that they aren’t here.”

“Hmm.”  He studied her face for a moment.  “Very well then.”  Moore looked up at Desmond.  “Take her to the study and hold her there.  I’ll be down soon.” 

“Yes sir.”  As Desmond roughly led her away, she silently pleaded with anyone who would listen that her children wouldn’t be discovered.  She also hoped that Hiram didn’t wake up. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry and Ron arrived at the warehouse to see dozens of Aurors frantically running about.  “What the hell?”  Ron frowned and then leaned into Harry.  “Something big must have happened to get everyone’s knickers in such a twist.”

A petite, blonde Auror named Frances stopped directly in front of them.  “Thank goodness you’re both here!  Director Williams needs to see you straight away!”

“What the hell is going on, Frances?”  Ron said as Harry and he followed her to where the  director had set up his office. 

“He’ll explain everything!  Just know we’re doing all we can at the moment.” 

Both Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged before being ushered into the director’s office.  They found Director Williams at a desk holding his face in his hands.  “Have a seat, boys.”  Ron and Harry sat down as the director removed his hands and cleared his throat.  “We have a situation.”  He picked up a piece of parchment from the desk and held it out to them.  “You need to read this.”

Ron took the paper out of his hands and held it so both Harry and he could read it together. 

“ _We have taken several wizard families hostage.  You will see their names listed on a separate piece of parchment inside this envelope.   We demand the release of the following prisoners from Azkaban: Brandon Knott, Ephram Dolohov, Daniel McNair, Damian McNair and Martin Crabbe.  If the prisoners are not released in a timely manner, we will be forced to continuously torture the hostages until our demands are met.  If all prisoners are not released by 9:00 AM, we will start killing one hostage every hour.”_

_I will be in touch._

_Julius Moore_

“Bloody hell!”  Ron threw the parchment down and ran his hand through his hair.  “Our informants were way the hell off!  Shite!” 

“Who are the hostages, sir?”

The director averted his eyes for a moment and then looked back at them.  “Apparently Julius directed his men to break into various high ranking officials’ and famous wizards’ homes.  There are five families involved- twenty one hostages total.” 

“They’re all being held at their homes?”  Harry asked.  His face grave, the director slowly nodded his head.  “What families are we talking about specifically, sir?”

The director cleared his throat for the second time.  “Three members of the Wizengamot- the Bethels’, the Greens’ and the Langleys’.  One is the family of Joe Pike, the Cannon’s star Seeker- he’s on his way to headquarters from Italy right now.”  Williams brought his hands up and began wringing them uncomfortably.  His face looked pained.  

“Well, who’s the last family, sir?”  Harry asked, his voice suddenly laced with worry at how the director was acting. 

The director looked at Ron and seemed to struggle to take in a breath.  “They’ve taken Hermione and your children hostage, Ron.”

“WHAT?!”   Ron and Harry both bolted up. 

“We’re doing everything we can Ron.  I assure you.” 

“You’re telling me that at this very moment my wife and children are being held against their will and probably being…”  Ron swallowed hard, unable to get the words out.  

“I don’t know, Ron.”

Ron’s face flushed with fury.  “What the fucking hell do you mean you don’t know?!” 

“They broke through the wards Ron.  They’ve put several enchantments upon not only your home but the others as well.  I have curse breakers at each home right now but everything they’ve tried hasn’t worked.  Several squads of Aurors are positioned around each home waiting for a way in.”  

Ron leaned in toward the director, his breath now loud and swift through his nose, jaw clenched.  “And exactly how fucking long have you known that my family was taken hostage?!”

“I received an Owl a little before two am.” 

Before Harry could stop him, Ron had reached over the desk and grabbed the director by the collar, pulling his face up to his.  “You waited a fucking hour to contact me about all this!”

“Ron- don’t!”  Harry had put his hand on Ron’s arm as if to make to stop him. 

 Ron shook him off and lifted the director clear across the desk before throwing him across the wall.  Williams landed hard.  “You should have contacted me the minute you got that Owl!”  Ron began to walk over to where the director lay.  Harry reacted quickly as he was fearful that Ron was going to literally beat the living hell out of Williams.  He jumped on Ron and tackled him to the ground.  “Get the fuck off me Harry!”

“No Ron- not until you get yourself under control!”  He began to grimace as Ron struggled beneath him.  “Stop it Ron!  Think of your wife and children.  We need to figure out how to rescue Hermione and the kids!”

With those words, Ron suddenly ceased moving beneath him.  His whole body began to shake as he broke down, his face suddenly scrunching up in despair.  “I can’t lose them Harry!  If any of those bastards touch her or Rosie or Hugo I swear I’ll fucking lose it!”  

“We’ll figure it out mate.  You need to be strong for them.”  Harry could feel his owns eyes growing wet.  “Hermione is smart, Ron.  And I know she won’t let anything happen to Rosie or Hugo.”

“But if they kill her first…”  Ron’s thoughts were obviously leading him down a depressing avenue and dead-ended with a horrible conclusion.

Harry released him, trying to get him focused on the rescue.  “Don’t think that way Ron!”

Yet, Ron couldn’t help but to think that way.  His family, who he loved more than anything, were in serious danger.  Without hesitation, he’d lay his life down in order to save them.  Ron thought back to the morning he had last seen them.  They had all eaten breakfast together.  Rosie had chatted a mile a minute while he had fed the baby, talking about the tea party she was planning on having with Grandpa Weasley.   

When he got ready to leave, he gave Hermione a kiss that had lingered a bit longer than normal.    _It’s almost as if I knew… we knew something was going to happen._ Ron shook his head at the memory.  He kissed the baby on the forehead and then scooped Rosie up in his arms.  She had insisted he take her prized teddy bear with him.    Not wanting to hurt his daughter’s feelings, he agreed and hugged her tightly before saying good bye.  As soon as he had Flooed to the Ministry, he shrunk it down to the size of a small galleon with his wand and had kept it in his pocket ever since.  

Ron hastily pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the miniature bear. It had become something more than just a silly idea of his daughter’s.  A feeling of pain and despair started to overwhelm him as he stared at it intently.   _Rosie._ Ron covered his face with his hands.  “Oh Merlin they’re probably being tortured right now!”   Images of Hermione screaming and in severe pain began to fill his mind.  He could see his little girl begging for her life and the baby…..  “NOOOOOO!” 

“Ron!  RON!”  Tears had begun to fall from his own eyes as he watched Ron fall apart.  “You have to…we have to pull ourselves together and figure out what to do.”

Ron nodded his head as he removed his face from his hands.  He knew Harry was right.  It wasn’t doing Hermione and their children any good falling apart like a bloody poof.  He sniffled a few times and took a few deep breaths.  “W-We need to g-get over there.”

“We will.  But first we need to talk to the director and see if he knows anything else that might be useful.”  Harry sighed and looked over at the director who was beginning to stir.  “That is if he doesn’t throw your arse in a cell for trying to kill him.”     

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione sat tied by magical bindings to a chair in her study.  Desmond kept a steely watch on her, forcing the tiny hairs on her arms to stand at attention every once in a while.  _What is he planning on doing to me?_ Hermione swallowed hard, her mind whirling with possibilities.  _At least the kids are safe- thank Merlin._ She began to think back to what one of the men had said in the hallway.  _Boris is dead._ Having never taken a life before, she could feel her eyes growing wet.  She felt guilty, dirty even.  _He would have killed you and the children if he had the chance._ Hermione sniffled.  _Still, it doesn’t make it right Hermione._ She could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and fear took hold of her heart all over again.  _Please don’t let them have found the children._

The door creaked open and Julius confidently strode in, a smug look on his face.  “Of all the hostages my men took tonight- you are the one that I am most excited over.”  He came closer to her, swung his robe to the side and crouched down to meet her face to face.  She could feel the heat from his body, but she still got a chill.  His breath matched the disgusting look on his face and it took all of Hermione’s courage to keep from wincing when he spoke.  “I will take such great pleasure in watching one of the Golden Trio die today.”

Hermione gasped.  “You’re a Death Eater?!”

Julius nodded and pulled out his wand with a satisfying grin on his face.  He held it up to her neck, twisting and pointing it as if trying to determine the best angle of attack.  “Do you know how long I’ve waited to get my revenge on Voldemort’s behalf?”  Tears began to fall from her eyes as she shook her head.  “I could kill you right now, you know.”  He pulled his wand away and stood up straight.  “But what’s the fun in that?” 

Hermione trembled, afraid to ask and yet unable to stop herself.  “W-What are y-you going t-to do to m-me?”

Julius reached over and ran the tip of his wand down the side of her face, down her neck and between her breasts.   “I’m going to have so much fun with you.”  He continued moving his wand down her stomach and over her thigh and paused.  His smile suddenly left his face, replaced with a snarl.  He pulled his wand away and backed up a few feet.  Hermione’s eyes widened with fear and all breathing ceased.  She couldn’t get her lungs to work, they were inflated with terror.  He seemed to be going over something in his mind as he nodded a few times and mumbled something to himself.  With little warning, he raised his wand up and began muttering spells under his breath.

Hermione screamed as she felt her body being slashed open every time he waved his wand at her.  When he finally stopped, Hermione looked down in horror to see that her clothes had been sliced as if by a knife.  Blood seeped out from the wounds along her chest, stomach and thighs.  It burned as her clothes began to soak up the blood, wrapping her in a grotesque red shroud.  Hermione felt the pain, but felt overwhelmed by the heavy thumping in her heart and the realization that as long as it kept beating, she’d keep bleeding.  

Julius didn’t seem bothered in the least at what he had just done.  He said casually to Desmond, “Take some pictures of our special hostage straight away.”  He walked towards the door.  “You know where to send it and be swift about it as I don’t want there to be an opening in the barrier for too long.”

As Julius closed the door, Desmond pulled a camera from his robes.  Standing directly in front of her, he put the camera up to his eye.  “Say cheese, bitch!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the director finally came to, he surprised Harry by not reprimanding Ron and instead began explaining why he hadn’t contacted him right away.  “I wasn’t sure if it was a real threat at first.  I didn’t want to send out the alarm until I knew for certain that he had taken hostages.”  He sighed, readjusting his shirt collar.  “I also had to take certain families and family members into protective custody.  He had originally targeted eight families.”  He motioned with his head towards Harry recognizing the question that was obviously on Harry’s mind.  “Luckily your wife and children were at a Quidditch match in Chudley.  We took them to a safe house straight away until Molly and Arthur came to fetch them.”

Harry took off his glasses and covered his eyes.  “Thank Merlin.”

“I am sorry Ron I didn’t contact you sooner but I was trying to get to those families who thankfully weren’t home at the time.  I needed to make sure they were safe.  We really are doing everything we can to get to the bastards who are holding them all.”

Ron sat stiffly in the chair, overwhelmed by anger, despair and confusion.  “You said there was a barrier of some sort around our homes?”  

The director nodded.  

“Nothing the curse breakers have tried has breached the barrier at all?”

“Nothing.  I am completely frustrated as are the curse breakers.”  Williams’ attention was drawn to the window where an owl tapped his beak against the glass.  The director frowned.  “I don’t recognize that owl.”  He opened the window and took the large envelope from its leg.  Williams opened the envelope and pulled out a photo.  A piece of parchment fell out of the envelope as well. He stared at the photo, his mouth wide open.  Still clutching the photo, he reached for the parchment with the other and read it. 

Harry saw the look of horror in Williams’ eyes.  “What is it, Director?  Is it from the hostage takers?”  Williams nodded and placed the picture on his desk photo side down.  “Is it a picture of one of the hostages?”  When all Williams did was stare at him dumbly, Harry raised his voice as he asked the question again.  “Well, _is_ it a picture of one of the hostages?!”  

Williams pointed a shaky finger at Ron.  “You don’t need to see this.” 

Ron’s eyes went wide with fear.  “Why?!”  The director shook his head sadly.  “If that’s a picture of my wife or children you better fucking hand it over right now!” 

“I don’t think…”

“FUCK YOU!”  Ron stood up and reached over the desk, snatching up the photo.  What he saw made the bile rise up in his throat.  Hermione was tied to a chair in their study.  She writhed around in the chair, covered in… _blood._   She looked up suddenly and he could see emotions of pain, fear and sadness playing upon her face.  He looked on in horror as the moving picture went through the scenario one more time.  Completely sick to his stomach, Ron threw the picture down and mumbled, “…going to be sick.”  He placed his hand over his mouth and scurried out of the director’s office while a bewildered Harry looked on. 

Harry picked up the photo and gasped in spite of himself.  His green eyes blazing, he fixed Williams with a cold stare.  “Ron and I are going to fucking kill the bastards!”  Harry then grabbed the parchment out of the Director’s hand.  It was from Julius.

_I took great pleasure in torturing the Mudblood whore myself!  Release the prisoners immediately or I fear I may just have to kill her in order for you to fully understand what my men and I are capable of._

_Regards,_

_Julius Moore_

He threw the parchment down in disgust.  Hearing several tapping sounds, Harry’s eyes were drawn to the window.  To his utter horror, there were four other owls, all holding a large envelope.  “Bloody hell!”


	3. Chapter 3

  
Author's notes:

Many thanks to my brilliant beta, Brandedfaithfully! 

*hugs*

missgranger2

* * *

“Siege” Chapter 3

Hermione woke up with a start.  _I must have drifted off.  I need to stay awake._ Her body was growing weaker.  _I wonder how much blood I’ve lost._ She looked around feebly, trying to fight the urge to fall back asleep.  Desmond was nowhere to be found.  _Probably doesn’t think in my condition that I’d be much of a threat._ Hermione could hear footsteps directly above her.  _They must be tending to Hiram in Ron’s and my room._ Her survival instincts kicking in, she scanned the room looking for something she could use to get herself out of the chair.  _Then what?_ Hermione sighed.  _Even if I could get out of this ruddy chair what can I do without a wand?_ She was relieved at least that it was still dark outside.  _Rosie never wakes up until seven.  Hugo should stay asleep as he didn’t nap yesterday according to Molly._ Hermione bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling.  _Stay safe little ones._ She choked back a sob.  _Where in the name of Merlin are you Ron?_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry entered the men’s bathroom to find Ron gargling water and spitting it out in the sink.  He lifted a hand towel off a stack and wiped his mouth before throwing it in the hamper.  “You alright, mate?” Harry asked.  Ron shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes.  If Harry didn’t know him so well, he would have thought Ron looked as cool as a cucumber.  But Harry did know Ron and he knew that stoic look well.  Ron was angry, so angry that he’d probably explode at any moment. 

Harry cleared his throat.  He didn’t want to tell him the grim news, but he had to.  Ron had the right to know about everything going on. “Julius Moore is one of the ones holding Hermione and the kids at your house, Ron.”  He bit his lip.  “He’s the one that tortured Hermione.” 

Ron’s eyes went wide and then he gave a dry laugh that worried Harry.  “That’s just fucking perfect.”   Ron turned and kicked the wall hard.  “That’s just fucking brilliant!” 

Harry put his hand on Ron’s shoulder.  “We’ll get them out, Ron.”   

Ron hurriedly wiped his eyes and squared his shoulders.  “We aren’t going to save them by standing around here with our thumbs up our arses.”  Ron began to walk to the door.  “I’m going to my house and see what the hell is going on.  Coming?” 

Harry nodded.  “Yeah, I’m right behind you.”  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They arrived to find a dozen or so curse breakers situated around the perimeter of his home.  They had their wands out, each of them uttering various incantations.  Every once in a while the barrier would hum and then the humming would cease.  Ron walked up to one of the dozen or so Aurors also present.  “What does the humming noise mean?”

“Oh…uh Auror Weasley.  I’m so sorry about your family.  Rest assured we’re do…”

Ron cut him off.  “I asked what the humming noise was about.”

“From what I understand it means one of the incantations they’re using is starting to work but then peters out at the last minute.”  He shook his head.  “They’ve been at it for hours.” 

Ron motioned with his head over to a group of Aurors.  “And what about our lot- have we tried any spells against it or is everybody just standing around analyzing shite while my wife is being tortured?”

The Auror seemed taken aback for a moment before replying calmly.  “We’ve tried several spells but the director thought it best to bring in the curse breakers when it was obvious we couldn’t get through.”

“Says you.”  Ron pulled his wand out and aimed it at the barrier.  “ _Reducto!_ ”

The Auror shouted in alarm as he saw the light fly from Ron’s wand toward where the curse breakers were.  “Get away from there!”   The curse breakers backed off just in time.  There was a loud explosion but the spell had no affect on the barrier whatsoever.  “Please Auror Weasley let the curse breakers handle it!”

Ron snarled at him, “I bet if that was your fucking wife and children in there you wouldn’t be standing around doing nothing!”   He turned and shouted at the group of Aurors, “You’re all fucking useless-every last one of you!” 

“Ron?”

“What?!”  Ron barked at Harry.

“Why don’t we go and see what the curse breakers are doing.”   The Auror mouthed the words “thank-you” at him.  Harry knew the reason that nobody was saying anything back to Ron was on account of the situation.  They knew Ron was hurting.  “Come on Ron and let’s see if we can help the curse breakers, alright?” 

Ron scowled at him and then the other Aurors before nodding his head.  “Fine.  At least they’re trying to do _something_ useful.”   He trudged over with Harry to one of the curse breakers who didn’t notice them as he uttered various incantations over and over.  “Anything?”

When the curse breaker didn’t answer him, Ron physically turned him around to face him.  “Well?!”

The man was startled.  “Well what?”

“Are you making any progress or not?”  Ron asked sounding annoyed. 

Harry piped up.  “This is Auror Ron Weasley.”

The man’s eyes went wide.  “Oh, I see.  Well Auror  Weasley, when you hear the humming that means we are slowly breaking through.  So in answer to your question, yes we are making some progress.  It’s just that every time we make some headway, it starts to slowly strengthen back up again.”

“Can’t you prevent it from strengthening back up?  I mean this _is_ supposed to be your forte, isn’t it?”

“If our calculations are correct, we think that somebody inside the house is doing it.  As we have no way to get inside, it’s impossible to stop the perpetrator from using his wand to strengthen the barrier back up.” 

“So, basically you’re telling me it’s hopeless.”

“No, not hopeless… it’s just going to take some time for us to figure out how to beat whoever is doing it at his own game.” 

“We haven’t gotten any fucking time!  My wife is being tortured and Merlin knows what those bastards have done to my children!”

“We are trying.”

Ron spoke through gritted teeth.  “Try harder!”  

The man looked at Harry helplessly.  

“Uh Ron, why don’t we allow the chap to get back to his work, alright?”   The man turned and resumed his work at once.  “Look Ron, why don’t we give them some space?  We could go and wait with the other Aurors until they break through.” 

“Are you mad?!”

Harry sighed.  “Look mate there’s nothing we can do at this point.  We are going to have to wait until they get that barrier down.”

“I can’t just stand idly by while my family is in danger Harry!” 

Harry tried to reason with him. “There’s nothing more we can do at this point!”

“Just go on and leave me alone Harry.”  Ron ran his hand through his hair and turned his back to him.  He went and stood over the curse breaker, watching him intently.  “Tell me the incantation you’re using,” asked Ron.

Harry looked on as the curse breaker talked Ron through it.  Ron repeated it back a few times until he had it right and began to try and help bring down the barrier.  Harry’s heart broke for him as he knew Ron was holding on by a thread.  Ron and Hermione had always been the brother and sister he never had.  Feeling emotional, Harry took his glasses off and wiped his eyes hurriedly with the back of his hand.  He put his glasses back on and pulled his wand out of his robes and went and stood next to Ron.  “Show me what to do.”

It wasn’t long before the group of Aurors joined them.  Ron prayed that the sheer numbers of witches and wizards working to bring the barrier down would save his family’s lives. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Unbeknownst to the curse breakers outside, Hermione Weasley had been listening intently for the humming noise.  She noticed that when she heard it, people began to scurry about on the floor above her.  One time, she was pretty certain she had even heard a wand being used.  _What was going on?_ Hermione wondered if the humming noise was related somehow to why she couldn’t Apparate outside the house.  _Did they put some sort of spell up around the house?  Nobody can get out…I wonder if that means that nobody can get in?_ Hermione willed her tired body to stay awake as she listened for the humming noise to start up again. 

It wasn’t long before she heard it along with the familiar bustling upstairs.  And then she heard something else- somebody was definitely using a wand inside the house.  _Why?  What did the humming have to do with them using their wands?_ Hermione closed her eyes and began to rack her brain for answers.  Suddenly her eyes opened wide in realization.  _Whatever spell they have up somebody is trying to remove it!  That’s why they begin to run about and use their wands._ Hermione bit her lip.  _If the humming means that the spell is waning… I need to buy whoever is trying to lift it some time!  I need to create some sort of diversion the next time I hear it.  But what?!_

Hermione looked helplessly around the room.   She fixed her eyes upon the bookcase that held various awards that Ron and her had received over the years.  It was just to the left of her.  Hermione bit her lip and took a deep breath, knowing that her body was growing weaker.  _You have to do this for Rosie and Hugo!_ Hermione began to sway back and forth from side to side.  Mustering as much energy as she could, she swung her body hard to the left, causing the chair to topple over.  She grunted as she hit the floor hard, her shoulder taking the brunt of it.  Hermione looked up towards the ceiling, hoping they hadn’t heard the chair fall to the floor.   And then she waited for the humming to resume. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~   

Upstairs, Julius was alarmed at how strong the counter spell had suddenly become.  He had enlisted Desmond to help him strengthen the barrier earlier.  At the present, he realized that he needed more help than Desmond.  He called for the other two men to help them as the sheer force of the counter curse had become too much for Desmond and him to handle.  They all held their wands with both hands, trying to keep the barrier intact.  Julius grimaced from the effort, breaking out into a sweat.  He was momentarily distracted from a loud bang coming from downstairs.  

He gestured with his head to one of the men.  “Go and see what all that racket was about!” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione heard the hum growing louder than ever before.  It was so loud now, that it practically reverberated through her ears, making her wish she could cover them.  Her wrists had been bound to the chair and she was still able to move her hands.  Grimacing, she reached for the throw rug that sat half under and in front of the bookcase and began to pull with all her might.  _Pull…dammit…keep pulling before the humming ends._ Hermione began shaking from the effort as she continuously pulled until the bookcase was close enough to her hand.  Sweating profusely, Hermione looked up sideways at the bookshelf that held plaques, trophies and picture frames with certificates of accomplishments. 

She knew that in order to accomplish her goal, the bookshelf  was going to fall upon her.  _You have to do this for Rosie…for Hugo._ Hermione grabbed the shelf that was right before the bottom.  With strength she shouldn’t have had, Hermione began to pull the bookshelf toward her.  Several trophies, along with picture frames began to fall down to the floor.  Hermione literally screamed as she gave a hard tug that sent the bookcase down on top of her.  Picture frames shattered, while the rest of the trophies and plaques fell out of the bookcase.  Some landed on the floor while others fell on top of her. 

Hermione grimaced with pain and hoped to hell somebody upstairs heard it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron kept repeating the incantation over and over again.  He could see that the combined efforts of the curse breakers and the Aurors were starting to have an effect on the barrier.  _I’m coming love…just hold on._ One of the curse breakers yelled excitedly, “I’m beginning to see a break in the barrier!” 

Ron broke away and ran over to the man.  “Where?”  He pointed to a thin spot that shone with a brilliant white light.  

“It’s starting to grow bigger!” 

Ron nodded his head as he waited until there was enough space for him to get through.

~*~*~*~**~*~*~

The door to the study banged open and Hermione heard a man cursing.  He lifted the bookcase and stared down at her, his nostrils flaring.  ‘What in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”  Any hope she had for sympathy or concern for her well-being went down the drain in a heartbeat.  The man kicked her hard in the gut, causing Hermione to groan in pain.  “Think this is a game do you?!  You mudblood whore!”  He pushed the bookcase to its side and kicked her again.  Still lashed to the chair, Hermione could do little but moan.  He hauled the chair and Hermione back into an upright position and Hermione couldn’t help but bow her head in pain, wanting to breathe, but dreading the sharp pain that came with that effort.  The man grabbed her hair and pulled her head up to look at him.  “You best behave yourself or next time I come down here I’ll kill your arse!”   He pushed her head back and turned.

Hermione heard the door slam and looked in the direction of the noise, the room suddenly growing blurry.  Her breathing seemed hard to control and she gasped.  Tired of fighting to stay awake, starved, dehydrated, blood loss now reaching critical Hermione finally gave up as she allowed the blackness to engulf her. 

~*~*~*~**~*~*~

Julius barked at the man when he returned, “What took you so long?!”

“I had to sort the bitch out, sir.”

“Just get your wand out and try to help us keep the barrier up you useless prick!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron watched as the white light began to spread wider.  “That’ll be enough!”  He shouted over to Harry, “I’m going in!”  Harry ran over quickly to where Ron was standing, balancing on the balls of his feet, ready to move any second.

The curse breaker looked wearily at them, “Not much time!  You both need to go- _now_!”  Without a second thought, Ron began to enter the fissure of white light.  The curse breaker grabbed his arm, “If you aren’t able to bring down the curse, you’ll have to find the white light in order to get out again!”

“It changes location?” 

“Yes!”  

Ron nodded and stepped into the illuminous gap, followed by Harry.  The light surrounded them, and they were forced to shut their eyes against the brightness.  It was warm on their skin and the humming noise roared loudly all around them.  Neither of them had any clue as to where they would end up inside the house.   The sensation pushed and pulled on them as if their bones were stretching while in the midst of an extended Portkey ride.  Though it was only minutes, it seemed longer as first Ron, than Harry stepped out of the light and into the kitchen.  

Harry had a confused look on his face and whispered to Ron, “How did we go clear through that wall without Apparating?” 

Ron shrugged and whispered back, “Let’s head to the study first and see if Hermione is still there.”  They started moving slowly with their wands raised in front of them.  Ron stopped abruptly, hearing a man yelling and people scurrying above them.  He turned to whisper to Harry.  “No stunning Harry.  We’re taking the bastards out, understand?”  Harry nodded as Ron arrived at the door of the study. 

He ran his free hand through his hair, pushing the fringe back so he could get a clear view of everything and grabbed the door knob.  Harry saw Ron freeze all of a sudden.  “What is it Ron?”  he whispered.

Ron gnawed on his lip.  “I’m not sure what I’m going to find on the other side of this door.  If… if they’re all….”

Harry laid his hand on Ron’s arm.  “Let me go first Ron.”  Ron didn’t let go of the door knob and shook his head.  “Are you sure you can handle it?  I need you to keep your head.  We’re dealing with a bunch of crazy bastards! ”

“I’ve got it.”  Ron lied.  He turned the handle and slowly pushed the door open.   Scanning the floor, Ron’s first vision was of broken glass, trophies and blood littering the floor.  But just as quickly, he noticed the heavy chair and his eyes scanned up a pair of stiff legs and slashed torso until he saw a head full of long brown hair.  Hermione’s head hung down and her clothes were completely saturated from her own blood, her arms bound to the chair.  Ron bolted forward, falling to his knees in front of her.  “H-Hermione?”  Dropping his wand to the ground, he carefully lifted her head up with one hand while feeling for a pulse on her neck with the other.  He turned his head to Harry, “She’s alive.  Remove the magical bindings while l hold her up.”

Harry waved his wand at her wrists and ankles.  The bindings instantly came loose and her body slumped forward against her husband.  Ron shifted her around, placing one arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulders.  He carefully lifted her up and held her close for a moment, his eyes moist, before bending his head and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.  Ron walked over to a patch of clear floor and laid her gently down upon it.  He bit his lip and turned around, reaching for his wand.  His hand shook as he held it up to her face.  “Shite Harry I can’t focus!”

“I’ll do it.”  Harry stooped down and held his own wand in front of her face.  “ _Enervate!”_

Hermione gasped, but immediately cried out as if in excruciating pain .  Her eyes fluttered open and she looked like a deer in headlights.  “Hermione?  Sweetheart, it’s me.” 

 “W-What….”  She swallowed hard, finding it difficult to get her bearings. 

“Love, it’s me.  Harry’s with me.  We’re going to get you out.  I need you to tell me where the children are.”  His eyes wet, Ron took her face gently in his hands.  “Please love, I need you to focus!  Where are the children?”

“A-A…”  Hermione shakily brought her hand up and placed it over one of his.  “Att…”

“The attic?” 

Hermione nodded her head.  Ron bent down and kissed her again on the forehead.  “You’re going to be alright, sweetheart.”   Ron released her face and lifted up her blood drenched t-shirt to examine her wounds.  “Oh, Merlin.”  Ron closed his eyes for a moment and pushed her shirt back down.   He turned to Harry and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  “Start doing some healing charms on her wounds while I go and get the kids.” 

“We should go together.  You need back-up.”

“Hermione needs medical attention and I don’t want her left alone down here!  I can go alone, Harry.”

“Ap…Ap…”  Hermione was struggling to talk and growing frustrated because she couldn’t get the words out.”

Ron dropped down on his knees by her and took her hand in his.  “What is it your trying to say, love?”

“Appa..”

Harry piped up, “Apparate?”  She nodded her head.  “That’s brilliant Hermione!  Apparate into the attic Ron!”

“Lucky I married such a brilliant witch.”  He bent down and brushed her lips lightly with his own.  Hermione smiled slightly and then began to close her eyes.  “That’s right love, just rest while Harry tends to your wounds.”  Unable to help himself, Ron kissed her lips one more time and stood back up.  

“Exactly what kind of wounds does she have?”  

Ron sighed.  “It looks like Julius slashed her skin wide open in several places with his wand.”  He walked over to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder.  “Take care of her, alright?”

“Do you even have to ask?  Wait a minute…do you hear that?”

Ron nodded his head.  “The humming is growing louder.”

“Do you think I might be able to get Hermione through the barrier?” 

“If you can find an opening I say go for it as she really does need a healer.”  Ron lifted his wand up and was just about to Apparate.  “And Harry if you are able to get through the barrier, make sure Hermione is taken straightaway to St. Mungos and then bring back a couple of Aurors with you.”    

 

   

                    

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

  
Author's notes:

I would like to thank the brilliant Brandedfaithfully for her beta work! She is simply lovely and I know I am so lucky to have her as a beta! *smiles*

*hugs*

missgranger2  

* * *

“Siege” Chapter 4

Ron scanned the cluttered mass around him and began to walk through the rows of boxes.  _Where are they?_ Desperate, Ron pushed the boxes out of his way as he went.  Finally, he spotted them in a makeshift clearing in the middle of the room.  _Thank Merlin!_ Ron jogged over to where they lay sleeping.  He picked up the baby first and held him close to his chest, kissing his head.  

Next, he reached down to Rose and picked her up with his free hand in one fluid motion.  Rose groaned and opened her eyes up slowly.  She yawned, stretching her little arms above her head and looked up at her daddy, frowning.  “Mummy promised to wake me when you got home.”

 Ron smiled at his daughter.  “She did?” 

“I wanted to pay hide and go seek wif you.”

Ron kissed her on the forehead.  “Maybe another time, sweetheart.” 

“Bud mummy promised!”  Rose protested.

“I promise you’ll get your chance to play hide and seek with daddy but not tonight alright?” 

Rose reached up to Ron’s face and wiped a tear away from his eye.  “Don be sad.”

Ron gave her a watery smile and chuckled as he pulled her close.  “Daddy’s not sad at all.  In fact- daddy’s very happy right now.”    

“I miffed you.”

Ron sighed.  “I missed you too, sweetheart.”  Ron gave her one last kiss before lifting his wand precariously and Apparating them all downstairs. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The humming was maddening.  It was so loud that it made Harry wince.  He hadn’t managed to close any of Hermione’s wounds, desperate to get her out of there and to the hospital.  His adrenaline skyrocketing, Hermione was light in his arms as he ran back to the kitchen and then to the lounge, hunting for the bright light.  Harry sighed in frustration and wondered if the opening might be upstairs now.  _I can’t risk Hermione’s life to check._ Almost on the verge of giving up, Harry’s eyes lit up as he realized there was more places the bright light might be- the downstairs loo!  

Harry rushed over to the hallway and with great difficulty reached for the knob.  He turned it quickly and wrenched the door open.  A bright light shone, illuminating the hallway and making Harry squint.  He whispered to an unconscious Hermione, “Hold on!  We’re almost there!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Julius groaned as he tried to keep his wand pointed toward the walls.  “Shite!  We have to keep the barrier up or all is lost!”

Desmond shook his head as he wrestled with his own wand.  “It’s not looking good, sir!”

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

Ron Apparated them to the kitchen, not wanting his children to see their mother in the state she was in.  Clutching his children protectively, he peered out the entrance to the kitchen.  Turning his head to the right, he saw that the study door was wide open.  _Harry must have got her out.  At least I hope he did._

Rosie said animatedly, “I’m tirsty daddy!” 

Ron looked wearily around the kitchen.  His voice was low, “Shh Rosie!  Not now love, afraid you’re just going to have to wait.”  He could hear the humming noise starting up again.  

“What’s dat noise?”  Before Ron could answer, the humming began to rise in volume, making Rosie cover her ears.  “Make it stop!”

Ron scanned the kitchen, looking for any opening.  With lightening speed, he ran into the lounge and saw the light coming from the right of the fireplace.   “Close your eyes Rosie.”   He pulled them both closer to his chest as the light stretched before his eyes to a space large enough to fit through.  He stepped forward and was about to enter the light when Harry and four other Aurors came through.    
  


Harry instantly spotted Rose and Hugo in Ron’s arms and yelled over the noise to one of the Aurors.  “Take the children and get them out of here before the barrier wanes!  Look for another opening and bring more Aurors back with you!” 

Ron kissed Rose and Hugo and handed them over to the Auror who quickly took them into the light.  After several minutes, the humming started to die down as did the light.  Ron looked at the wall where his children had just passed and reached out his hand, touching it as if to confirm that a solid wall now protected them from the evils within.  “Thank Merlin.”  Taking his wand out, he turned to Harry.  “You got Hermione out then?”

Harry nodded.   “Several healers were waiting.  They were notified of possible injuries when we entered the house.  They took her straight away to St. Mungos.”   

Ron breathed a sigh of relief.  Knowing the perpetrators were up stairs, Ron didn’t want to alert them to their presence and lowered his voice.  “Since I don’t think they are aware that we breached the barrier, we have the element of surprise.”  He addressed everyone present.  “No prisoners on this one, lads.”  The others nodded in understanding. “And one more thing- Julius is _mine_!”  

“Do you have a plan of attack?” a female Auror asked. 

Ron ran his hand through his hair.  “Harry and I will Apparate upstairs as we know the layout of the house.  Wait for the other Aurors, and then head up the staircase, right over there.  At the top of the steps is a wall on the right that you can use for cover.  We’ll lie low until you all show up on the second floor.  Hold your position behind that wall until Harry and I make our presence known first.”  Ron took a deep breath and looked at Harry.  “We’ll Apparate into my bedroom.” 

“Are you sure?  I mean we have no bloody idea where they are.  What if one of them is holed up in your bedroom and alerts the others to our presence?  The whole plan’ll be fucked up!” 

Ron shrugged.  “We take him out then.  They’re going to pay for what they did to Hermione and what they put my family through, Harry.” 

Harry wore an angry expression on his face, matching those of the other Auors.  “Let’s do this then.”  

Ron went over the plan one more time with the others.  They both held up their wands and Apparated to Ron’s bedroom.   Harry gestured his head towards Ron and Hermione’s bed when he spotted Hiram lying upon it.  Ron nodded as they crept over to the bed.  Putting his wand quickly to the man’s throat, Ron gasped in surprise at seeing the man staring upward with fixed, glossy eyes.  “He’s dead.”  Ron whispered to Harry.  

Harry nodded.  He gestured his head to Ron’s open bedroom door.  Ron nodded back to him as they slowly walked towards it.  They put their backs to the wall to the right of the opening as the humming noise grew in volume yet again.  Julius was shouting at his men and there seemed to be a large commotion coming from the other end of the hallway. 

Ron gripped his wand tightly, the vibrations from the ear-splitting hum sending tremors right up his arm.   The decibels peaked for several moments and then started to decrease.  Harry’s tense glance only helped to further Ron’s courage and he mouthed the words, “Get ready.”  Harry nodded back.  Ron slowly peered out the doorway and looked to the right.  Luck was on their side; the men had their backs to them.  Glancing to his left, Ron noticed the edge of a face behind the wall by the stairs and knew the other Aurors were ready, waiting for Harry and him to show themselves. 

Ron turned back to Harry and gestured with his head towards the doorway.  Creeping out slowly into the hallway, Harry and Ron stood in front of the large group of Aurors, wands pointed.  “Julius!”  Ron yelled. 

Julius snapped his head quickly as did his other men.  His face paled at the formidable force of Aurors standing in the room.  His barrier had obviously been breached.  Julius raised his wand towards them defiantly.  “You’ll not take any of us alive.  We’ll fight you to the death!”

Ron glared at him.  “I’m counting on it.  ”   Instinctively, bred from years of training and working with each other, the Aurors attacked.   A few of the Aurors Apparated right beside Julius and his men, taking out one of his henchmen straight away.  Julius’ cocky threats evaporated as he, Desmond and the other man Apparated away, realizing they were outnumbered.  “Spread out!  They can’t Apparate out of here so that means they’re somewhere inside the house!”   Ron and Harry Apparated to the bottom floor as the Aurors began to disperse.

Materializing in the lounge, Ron spotted a jet of green light coming towards them.  “Get down!”  He shoved Harry to the ground just in time, the curse ripping a hole in the wall behind them.  Scrambling through plaster dust, they ran toward the hallway where the green light had originated.  Pausing at the junction of three rooms, they realized their dilemma.  Two men and three rooms, any of which could be the current hiding place of their quarry.  Julius and one of his cronies could be lurking in the study, the loo or the kitchen.  “Back to back, Harry!” Ron whispered.  Harry immediately turned around, as they advanced forward, each able to focus all of their senses toward the rooms in front of them.  The door to the loo suddenly burst open.  Desmond took aim with his wand, but Ron was faster, and fired off a curse that sent the man flying to the floor.  He skidded to a stop, spread-eagle, his eyes wide but lifeless. 

Harry blew out a calming breath.  “That’s one!”  Ron nodded as they inched their way down the hall.  They could hear somebody scrambling about in the study.  The humming noise resumed once again, steadily rising in volume.  Ron aimed his wand at the door of the study, blasting a gaping hole to where it had just been.  The door, along with large amounts of the wall, sailed through the air, falling down upon Julius as he dashed around the study, trying to find a safe hiding spot.  Just as he decided to duck under the desk, a large piece of dangling molding swung lose from the ceiling and hit Julius square in the forehead.  He was knocked out cold, his body slumping face first into the desk.  

 

“I got you now you bastard!”   Ron jumped over a table and a large piece of door panel, reaching the desk and gripping Julius by the hair, his wand pointed at the man’s throat.  

“DON’T!”  Harry shouted at him, making him jump.

“What do you mean don’t?  This bastard tried to kill Hermione and directed his men to take several families hostage.  He doesn’t deserve to live and you know it!” 

“It just doesn’t feel right, Ron.  You’re not that kind of wizard.”  The noise was deafening now and both Harry and Ron winced at the sheer intensity of the sound, covering their ears from the intensity.  “They’re bringing the barrier down!”  Harry pointed his finger toward the window in the study.  “Look!”  The light grew from a spot near the window.  It began to stretch quickly, engulfing the walls of the room.  “Blimey, I think they’ve done it!”

Within minutes, the light expanded and intensified to the point that Harry and Ron had no choice but to close their eyes.  Besides the humming, a whirring noise could now be heard.  It sounded as if it was building toward some sort of crescendo as the volume grew louder and louder.  With a symphonic explosion, the earth shook, the walls rattled, pictures falling off their hooks with the force of the broken curse.  Ron and Harry were thrown to the ground.  The bright light, their savior up to this point, now pulsed violently and glowed deep red.  As if flipping a switch, the room fell silent and the red light began to ebb away, leaving a dull haze as it vanished.  

A second later, a series of pops could be heard as could doors being opened from the front and back of the house.  Curse breakers and Aurors began to appear throughout the house, some tripping immediately over broken furniture and dead bodies.  Ron and Harry leaned on the nearby sofa and picked themselves up off the floor, coughing from the dust and shaking their heads to try and regain their hearing. 

Williams entered the study, followed by several other Aurors.  His eyes went wide when he spotted Julius slumped over the desk.  “You got him!”

The bitterness apparent his voice, Ron said, “He’s not dead, just knocked out cold.”

“The house is secure then?”

“There’s still one scumbag not accounted for unless they got him upstairs.”   

“I see.”  The director walked over to where Julius lay and looked down at him.  Without looking up, Williams said, “I need everyone to leave the room.”  He glanced up at Ron.  “You need to get to St. Mungos and look after your family.” 

Harry looked curiously at Williams.  “What about the other hostages, sir?”

“When I found out what you were doing here, the others followed suit.  We were able to get some of our lot inside and get the barrier down.  Though I’m afraid we still lost three civilians- the Cannon’s Seeker’s wife and child were killed as was one of the members of the Wizengamot.”  

“Blimey.”  

The director nodded his head sadly.  “Now if you boys would excuse me, I have some unfinished business to attend to.”  The director ushered Harry, Ron and the other Aurors out of the study.  Moments later, a wall appeared, obviously conjured by up by the director, shutting him up alone in the study with Julius. 

“What do you think he’s doing in there, mate?”  Harry asked, sounding worried. 

“Justice.” 

As Harry and Ron began to walk to toward the kitchen, they heard the director utter the killing curse.  Harry stopped abruptly while Ron kept walking, a huge sense of relief swarming over him.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Hermione had been at St. Mungos for almost a week.  Her injuries from the curse were severe, the dark magic forcing the wounds open every time the healers attempted to close them.   A team of personnel were caring for her round the clock, blood transfusions, constant wound care and charms to weaken the dark magic.  A special salve, created through one healer’s incredible ingenuity, seemed to be working.  Ron was informed that had he waited even minutes longer, Hermione would have surely bled to death.  

Though groggy from the many sleeping draughts, Hermione seemed aware of her condition and functioned as the model patient.  She had been over the moon when she found out both Rosie and Hugo were alright and her desire to recuperate seemed to increase ten fold.  However, Ron couldn’t help but notice that something was off.  At times, she seemed down, oddly quiet and withdrawn.   He spent hours encouraging her to talk about the incident, holding her hand and assuring her she had done the right thing.  When Ron finally got to the bottom of her strange behavior, he was perplexed to say the least.  Hermione was upset that she had taken a life and nothing Ron said seemed to console her.   He didn’t have the heart to tell her about the dead man lying on their bed.  

Presently, Ron was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading from the _Daily Prophet_.  The article talked about the hostage crisis and the aftermath.  Up until now, the paper had been vague as it waited for a full investigation conducted by the Auror Department.   Hermione looked surprised that the paper had reported that all six men who had been at their home had died at the hands of Aurors. 

A healer brought Hermione a breakfast tray.  She lifted up a small bite of oatmeal to her lips, but suddenly stopped.  “But that’s not true.”  She slammed the spoon back down into the bowl and folded her arms. 

Ron sighed.  “No, it’s not the whole truth as I asked the director not to reveal your involvement in Boris’ death.”  _And in Hiram’s._

Hermione bit her lip and covered her face with her hands.  “I can’t believe I did something so horrible.”

Ron folded the paper up and set it down on the nightstand.  He reached both of his hands up and pulled hers from her face.  “Please don’t do this to yourself.”  Tears were falling from her eyes and he tightened his grip on her hands.  “You did what you had to do to protect our children.  I would have done the same thing Hermione if I had been in your place.” 

Hermione shook her head.  “I could have stunned them or- “

Ron cut her off.  “Stop second guessing yourself.  You did the right thing as there were two of them and only one of you.”  Ron sighed and brought one of her hands up to his lips, kissing it softly.  Clearing his throat, he said softly, “I also took a life that day Hermione.”   She stared at him, her eyes wide.  “That’s right- I killed one of them too.”

“And you don’t feel bad about it at all?”

Ron rubbed the knuckles on her hand with his thumb.  “I’m not proud of what I did.  But there’s no doubt in my mind that he would have surely killed me if I hadn’t gotten to him first.”   _He very nearly did._

Hermione bit her lip, looking into his eyes.  Ron knew she was mulling things over in her head.  She took a deep breath.  “I suppose there was a good chance they would have done something horrible to one of the kids if I hadn’t done what I did.”  

“Damn straight they would have, love.”  Ron released her other hand and rubbed his eyes wearily.  “Many of the children that were held hostage were tortured Hermione.  One child even died at the hands of those bastards.”

“I knew that Joe Pike’s daughter was killed but I had no idea they had tortured the other children.” 

“The families involved requested that that information not be released publicly as the children are severely traumatized by the whole ordeal.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments.  Each of them thought about how it could have been their children who had suffered.  They would have been out of their minds and heartbroken if Rosie or Hugo had been hurt.  Hermione broke the silence.  “I don’t think I could have taken it if that had been our children, Ron.” 

“I couldn’t have taken it.”  Ron wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  “Do you know how bloody proud I am of you?  You saved their lives.”  He released her hand and stood up.  Bending over her, he removed the breakfast tray and sat it down on the nightstand.  Ron sat on the side of the bed and pulled her into his arms.  “You were brilliant love.  I’m so grateful to you… so bloody grateful for saving their lives.”    

Hermione whispered into his neck.  “I knew you’d get us out of there.  I knew you’d come.” 

Ron pulled back and placed one of his hands on her cheek.  “I love you.”  With a watery smile, Hermione said the words back to him.  Their lips met and they shared a deep kiss, both putting everything they had into it.   When they broke apart they held onto one another for a long time, not thinking anymore on what could have been. 


End file.
